SynthesisBMC public health2015
A systematic review of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of peer education and peer support in prisons.
Synthesis in BMC public health, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 75 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
75 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Best practice guidelines for viral hepatitis service delivery in prisons.The Lancet. Infectious diseases · 2026Pooled it
- A Qualitative Systematic Review of Barriers and Facilitators to Hepatitis B and C Programmes in Prisons.Journal of viral hepatitis · 2025Pooled it
- Mental health interventions for individuals with serious mental illness in the criminal legal system: a systematic review.BMC psychiatry · 2024Pooled it
- Towards evidence-based and inclusive models of peer support for long covid: A hermeneutic systematic review.Social science & medicine (1982) · 2023Pooled it
- Peer education for HIV prevention among high-risk groups: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC infectious diseases · 2020Pooled it
- Lay-led and peer support interventions for adolescents with asthma.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2017Pooled it
- An Experimental Study of the Effectiveness of a Trauma- Specific Intervention for Incarcerated Men.Journal of interpersonal violence · 2023Trial
- A multi-component tailored intervention in family childcare homes improves diet quality and sedentary behavior of preschool children compared to an attention control: results from the Healthy Start-Comienzos Sanos cluster randomized trial.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2022Trial
- Trial
- Peer support for social care in prison: development of guidance and a logic model informed by mixed studies review and co-development workshops.Health & justice · 2026Article
- Implementing a peer navigation program for individuals with serious mental illness in the criminal legal system: insights and lessons learned.Pilot and feasibility studies · 2026Article
- Article
- Article
- Rationale, design, and methodology of a randomized controlled trial evaluating the impact of peer-enhanced care coordination on linkage to HCV care among formerly incarcerated individuals.Contemporary clinical trials · 2025Article
- Exploring reasons and motivations for suicide attempts in prison before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.Health & justice · 2025Article
- Using the socioecological model to guide service delivery improvements to the prison needle exchange program in Canada: insights from multi-level stakeholders.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Civil society in action: insights into volunteer-based community mentoring for reentry support.Health & justice · 2025Article
- Suicide prevention following conviction within the criminal justice system: a review of good practice using a social-ecological framework.BMC global and public health · 2025Review
- Identifying potential barriers and enablers to smoking abstinence after leaving a smokefree prison using the capabilities, opportunities, motivations -behaviour (COM-B) model: a qualitative interview study.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Developing Safewards Secure for Mental Health Prison Units Using a Nominal Group Technique.International journal of mental health nursing · 2025Article
15 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPrisoners experience significantly worse health than the general population. This review examines the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of peer interventions in prison settings.
methodsA mixed methods systematic review of effectiveness and cost-effectiveness studies, including qualitative and quantitative synthesis was conducted. In addition to grey literature identified and searches of websites, nineteen electronic databases were searched from 1985 to 2012. Study selection criteria were: POPULATION: Prisoners resident in adult prisons and children resident in Young Offender Institutions (YOIs).
interventionPeer-based interventions. COMPARATORS: Review questions 3 and 4 compared peer and professionally led approaches. OUTCOMES: Prisoner health or determinants of health; organisational/process outcomes; views of prison populations. STUDY DESIGNS: Quantitative, qualitative and mixed method evaluations.
resultsFifty-seven studies were included in the effectiveness review and one study in the cost-effectiveness review; most were of poor methodological quality. Evidence suggested that peer education interventions are effective at reducing risky behaviours, and that peer support services are acceptable within the prison environment and have a positive effect on recipients, practically or emotionally. Consistent evidence from many, predominantly qualitative, studies, suggested that being a peer deliverer was associated with positive effects. There was little evidence on cost-effectiveness of peer-based interventions.
conclusionsThere is consistent evidence from a large number of studies that being a peer worker is associated with positive health; peer support services are also an acceptable source of help within the prison environment and can have a positive effect on recipients. Research into cost-effectiveness is sparse. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO ref: CRD42012002349.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.